Putin and Scholz have not had any non-public contacts since December 2022. “There are practically no common themes for discussion on the surface, our relations have been reduced to virtually zero and not on our initiative,” he said, adding that Putin “has always been and remains open to dialogue.” Read also: No negotiations with Russia have been authorized — Zelenskyy This follows an earlier report by the German Die Zeit on Oct. 1 that Scholz is considering holding a phone call with Putin ahead of the G20 summit that will take place in Brazil on Nov. 18-19. According to German federal governme…